The Dawn Duellist Society teach classes every week. These classes are led by instructors with years of experience and research behind them, who have been approved and assessed for teaching by their peers using strict criteria for everything from class safety to class atmosphere.
Though dedicated they’ve still got a sense of fun and these certifiably sword-obsessed lunatics spend time planning their classes, then turn up and teach for nothing more than their love of the art.
Jack Fraser (He/Him)
Jack joined DDS in 2014, and works primarily with 15th century longsword and messer material.
Jack currently teaches Lichtenauer Longsword, Pseudo-Hans Döbringer is his favourite! Apart from longsword, Jack is interested in messer, sword and buckler, greatsword and grappling.
Jack is the current President of DDS.
Kat Ferguson (They/Them)
Kat leads the sabre classes at DDS, and will happily fence with anything sword shaped.
Aside from HEMA, Kat also practises Kendo and Judo.
David McIllhinney
David is an experienced longsword fencer, practising both Fiore and Lichtenauer doctrines of fencing,
He is also interested in messer.
Jean-Loup Rebours-Smith
Despite initial doubts about fencing while watching people play with foils, Jean-Loup became convinced fencing was an art worth pursuing when given the chance to play with a rapier. This was in January 2003, and since then he has worked towards learning all that can be learned about the rapier.
He joined the DDS in September 2006 and has been active in the club since then, actively researching Italian and French styles spanning a period of about 80 years. The treatises he worked on in various degrees include Sainct Didier, Capo Ferro, Di Grassi, Thibault and most recently Agrippa. In the odd time when the old re-enactment flames burns up again, his interest mostly lies with the southern-side of the English channel in the early years of King Louis XIII, fuelled by a keen interest in the works of Dumas. Other weapons of interest include the sabre, smallsword and sword & buckler. Jean-Loup has previously served as DDS secretary and currently looks after this very website.